The pilot and his family were killed in a private plane crash in Brazil

Ten members of a family have died after a private plane crashed in the city of Horamado in southern Brazil.

Brazilian businessman Luis Claudio Galeazzi, who was piloting the plane, died in the crash along with his wife, three daughters and other family members, his company said in a statement.

It is reported that the small plane crashed into the building’s chimney, as well as a house and a shop, when it fell.

Local authorities report that 17 people were injured in the accident, including two in serious condition.

According to Brazilian media reports, Mr Galeazzi, 61, was taking his family on a trip to Jundiai, Sao Paulo state.

All 10 victims of the disaster were members of Mr. Galeazzi’s family, Rio Grande do Sul state governor Eduardo Leyte said at a press conference. He added that the plane took off in adverse weather conditions.

The plane reportedly flew 3 km (1.8 miles) before crashing in an urban area of ​​the city minutes after taking off on Sunday morning.

“At the time, it was gaining momentum. You could see that he was accelerating a lot,” eyewitness Nadia Hansen told Reuters.

“Then there was a thud when it hit the building, then it went by my house and then it fell and I thought it fell in front of the house,” she said.

Pictures from the scene show emergency workers searching for smoking wreckage among the wreckage of heavily damaged buildings.

Mr. Galeazzi was the managing director of Galeazzi & Associados, a corporate restructuring and crisis management firm based in São Paulo.

The company released a statement on LinkedIn paying tribute to the 61-year-old.

“Luis Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his distinguished career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the statement said.

“We also extend our condolences to all those affected by the accident in the region,” the statement said, adding that it would cooperate with the investigation into the accident.

According to Brazilian media, the plane fell near the center of Gromadu, hitting a house, a furniture store and a hotel.

The state governor, Mr. Leyte, said the cause of the accident was being investigated by the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aviation Accidents (Cenipa).

“The whole state is mobilized here to provide the necessary assistance,” he told reporters at the scene.

Hromadu is a popular tourist destination, known for its festive events.

In May of this year, the region was severely affected by an unprecedented flood that claimed dozens of lives and displaced around 150,000 people from their homes.